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SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Autopilot, the simple and visual marketing automation software, today
announced the easiest way to automate SMS communications using a visual
drag and drop builder. The expanded functionality powered by Twilio
allows anyone to automate SMS to capture information and send
personalized replies based on responses without having to ask a
developer or writing a line of code.

"To make sure that every message matters, businesses must communicate on
the channels their customers prefer,” said Patrick Malatack, Vice
President of Product Management at Twilio. "With their integration with
Twilio SMS, Autopilot is lowering the barrier to entry for marketers who
want to create engaging mobile experiences for their customers via text."

Up until now, marketers have relied on their developers to help them
automate more complex aspects of SMS marketing. This includes sending
personalized responses based on a reply and trying to capture
information from SMS replies into their database like names and emails.
As a result, SMS has been a largely untapped channel in marketing
automation where demand for functionality beyond mass texting has grown.
Autopilot’s new features enable SMS automation for lead generation,
capturing reply data and sending personalized messages based on
responses—all on a simple, intuitive canvas seamlessly connected to
existing marketing data, channels, and tools.

In just a few minutes, a marketer can drag and drop shapes on a screen
to create a sequence of SMS communications. Triggered by sending a
keyword such as “hello” to a shortcode or mobile number (similar to a
bot) it can instantly reply and ask for more information. Different
paths can be easily created based on how a contact replies to a message
using reply outcomes like “yes” or “no”. At the same time, the marketer
can control the next steps of the customer experience by adding the
contact to a list, updating a lead score, sending a follow up email,
notifying the team on Slack, and more.

Seedsheet, as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank, is using Autopilot’s SMS
automation to drive their business. They are on a mission to make it
ridiculously easy to grow your own food. “Autopilot’s new SMS
functionality has helped us create a personalized experience for our
customers on the channel they use the most,” said Cam MacKugler, CEO &
Founder at Seedsheet. “First-time gardeners can sign up to receive
real-time tips, tutorials, and recipes that follows their garden’s
growth from seed to supper. So far, these text messages have helped our
customers grow thousands of gardens.” The new functionality has
radically changed how Seedsheet plans to market their product. Available
at stores like Home Depot, QVC, Ace Hardware, and Amazon, they’ve added
SMS opt-in instructions on their product packaging. It’s as simple as
texting “herbs” to a phone number.

Autopilot’s new SMS automation capabilities for marketers include:

Text to opt in: Drive lead acquisition by allowing people to
SMS a keyword (e.g. “hello”) to a phone number or shortcode.

Collect information: Ask questions like “What company do you
work for?” or “Would you describe your level of experience as
beginner, intermediate, or advanced?” Then capture SMS replies and
save data to the contact profile for future correspondence.

Personalize customer journeys: Automate actions based on a
contact’s reply. For example, you might ask if the customer prefers a
follow up call or email. If they choose “call”, assign a task to your
sales team in Salesforce CRM to make a phone call. If they choose
“email”, send a follow up email.

Build bot-like experiences: Use SMS to design automated
conversations that answer common questions. Think of it like adding an
assistant that helps you generate and qualify leads, gather feedback
from customers, and deliver support.

“By removing the need for a developer to access the incredible
capabilities of Twilio and Autopilot, we’re able to unleash marketers’
creativity,” said Michael Sharkey, CEO of Autopilot. “Customer interest
has been off the charts. We’ve heard of customers planning to use the
functionality to capture interest off billboards, collect audience
feedback at events or even use it as a virtual business card. This is
the stuff marketers used to dream about doing with SMS and today it’s a
reality.”

Autopilot is simple and visual marketing automation software trusted and
loved by over 3,000 teams around the world. It helps marketers capture
and convert new leads, connect with customers and create loyal repeat
buyers. The best teams at Lyft, Atlassian, Microsoft, Instapage,
LiveChat, Greenpeace, Patreon and Crunchbase all use Autopilot to
automate their marketing.

Founded in 2012, Autopilot has offices in San Francisco and Sydney, and
has raised over $30M in venture funding from backers including
Blackbird, Rembrandt, and Salesforce Ventures.